If you take good care of your teeth on a consistent basis, then there’s a good chance that you’ll lose one of them, or need to have one extracted. However, good hygiene and preventive dental care aren’t exactly guarantees against tooth loss, or some of the unavoidable issues that could lead to it. In some severe cases, tooth extraction may be the best solution for mitigating a compromised tooth’s impact on your oral health. It can also pave the way for your dentist to replace the tooth with a stronger, more durable, and custom-designed restoration.
Is extracting it really the best option?
Tooth extraction has become much less common as dentistry has advanced over the years. It’s almost always preferable to preserve as much healthy, natural tooth structure as possible, and modern dental restorations make that possible for patients with a wide range of dental health concerns. However, it still remains necessary for patients in certain situations, such as:
- A tooth that is severely broken
- A tooth with extreme tooth decay
- A tooth with a broken root
- An impacted wisdom tooth (third molar)
- And more
Can you replace the tooth soon afterward?
In addition to providing several ways to restore most compromised teeth, advanced dentistry also provides lifelike ways to replace a tooth after it’s been lost or extracted. In most cases, replacing the extracted tooth as soon as possible is the best option for your smile. It will not only restore your smile’s full, healthy appearance, but also your bite’s full function. The right lifelike tooth replacement will also help you mitigate the common effects that follow tooth loss, including the shifting of your other teeth and the loss of mass and density in your jawbone structure.
What if the tooth is a wisdom tooth?
While most extracted teeth should be replaced, wisdom teeth (or third molars) are the exception to the rule. Wisdom teeth typically require extraction because they become stuck (or impacted) behind your other teeth. Without these molars, your bite still has enough chewing power to continue functioning for life. Therefore, wisdom teeth do not need to be replaced after being extracted. There would likely not be enough room along your dental ridges to replace the extracted wisdom teeth, anyway.
Learn more about the need for tooth extraction
If your tooth needs to be extracted, it’s best not to wait too long to undergo treatment and reduce your risks of further oral health concerns. To learn more, schedule an appointment or initial consultation by calling Advanced Dental Concepts in Auburn Hills, MI, today at (248) 852-1820.
